Insole and method of making same



Nov. 29, 1938. I, F DAMON 2,138,227

INSOLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed March 18, 1936 INVENTOR MW TTORNEYS.

Patented Nov. 29, 1938 2,138,227 INSOLE AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Isaac F. Damon, Belmont, Mass, assignor to Compo Shoe Machinery Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application March 18, 1936, Serial No. 69,491

Claims. (Cl. 12-146) OFFICE 5 a novel and improved form of insole, having the heel portion I2 and shank portion I3 thereof 5 relatively thick and thin portions, which is better up to the ball line and by further compressing adapted to fit in a completely assembled shoe. the marginal forepart portion l4 while leaving Another object of the invention is to provide the central forepart portion ll uncompressed. an improved insole having a central forepart This compressing operation decreases the thickportion which is thicker than the remainder ness of the pressed parts and also may slightly 10 This invention relates to the manufacture of foot wear, and'more particularly to the making of shoes having an improved insole construction.

General objects of the invention are to provide thereof, so as to provide integral filler material adapted tooccupy space which would otherwise have to be compensated for in shoes of the various types to which such insole is applicable.

initially somewhat thicker than the required thickness of the finished insole. An insole having a raised landed portion I I at its central forepart is formed from such blank by compressing laterally expand them, so that the blank l0 may initially be somewhat smaller in dimension than the required insole, or the latter may after compression be trimmed to the required size by any Other objects of the invention are to provide known or suitable trimming equipment. Com- 15 a method of making an insole having improved pression of the heel, shank and marginal forecharacteristics such as those indicated above, and part p t ns au these pa s to become denser to provide methods of making shoes involving than the initial stock, and makes them thinner utilization of such an insole. while retaining and even enhancing their initial Other objects of the invention will in part be stren th, which is desirable- The 20 obvious and will in part appear hereinafter. pacted central forepart portion, while preserving The invention accordingly comprises the the added relative thickness to act as a filler to several steps and the relation of one or more of compen for the upp r st allowance, also such steps with respect to each of the others, and retains its initial relatively low density and high the article possessing the features, properties, flexibilityand the relation of elements, which are exem- This compression of e insole b ank ay be plified in the following detailed disclosure, and effected in various w s, one su e appa a us the scope of the inventionwill be indicated in therefor m si a pai f pr ssure rol s 15 the claims. and I5 (Fig. 3), one of which has a depression For a fuller understandin of th nature and or matrix I6 corresponding in outline with the 30 objects of the invention reference should be had land H which is to be formed on the 1115018- A to the following detailed description taken in blank 10 is suitably registered with espect to connection with th apcompanying drawing in the matrix It and is run between the rolls, which which: are spaced so as to compress the required por- Fig, 1 i s, perspectlvg i of a rounded insole tions of the insole while leaving the land H at 35 blank u d in th nst t of an insole substantially its initial thickness. Other forms bodying the principles of this invention; of pressing q p t ay be s h w Fig. 2 is a. perspective view of an insole made for exampleif desired the heel and shank from the blank of Fi 1; tions may be squeezed between rollers up to the 40 Fig, 3 i a fragmentary illustration of one ball line, and the marginal forepart portion I4 40 form of apparatus provided to make the insole may thereafter be Compressed between Other of Fig. 2; pressure rollers which are mounted so as to en- Fig- 4 is a transverse vertical s cti al i able the stock to be inserted edgewise between. across the forepart of one form of shoe embody- Pressing die quipm nt of ui abl confi rati n 5 ingthe insole of the present invention; and may also be used if desired- Fig. 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view Such an insole, having an integral landed D0 taken across the forepart of another form of tion at its central forepalt. y be used to shoe utilizing such ins le. vantage in various shoe assemblies, two illus- Referring more particularly to the drawing, trative assemblies being shown in Figs. 4 and 5.

50. there is shown a rounded insole blank In formed In 4 there s s w a shoe which is a t d of compressible material such as a manufactured composition of plant fibers or the like. Such insole materials are well known to the trade, one such, for example, being commercially available under the trade name Onco. Any such material is suitable for the purposes of this invention, provided it is capable of being compressed or moulded under pressure and is able to retain the form which it is thus compelled to assume.

The blank l0, formed of such a material, is

to be lasted substantially along the lines of the McKay process, as is commonly done, for example, with many cemented shoe constructions. Here, the insole is located along the bottom of a last I! with its landed portion H facing outwardly. An upper I8 is then pulled over and lasted to the heel and shank portions of the insole and to the relatively thin marginal portion l4 thereof. The lasting allowance I8 of such upper istrimmed so as to approach but not overlap the shoulder dividing the edge of the landed portion, and the latter is of such thickness that it substantially occupies the space between the inturned edges of the lasting allowance. Heretofore it has been customary to fill this space with a loose cork filler, or some other form of separate filler material. The present arrangement, wherein the lasting allowance l8 and the thicker insole portion ll provide a substantially flat even surface at the bottom of the forepart of the upper, successfully eliminates such loose filler materials, which are liable to become dislodged and to gather into undesirable lumps or masses during the wear of the shoe, and also provides a comparatively flexible construction.

An outsole IS, the flesh surface of which may be flat, is placed against the bottom of the lasted upper and attached thereto in any suitable manner, the flat surface of the forepart of the upper being adapted snugly to fit thereagainst.

Any suitable form of lasting and sole-aflixing operations may be employed, but preferably these are carried out through the use of pyroxylin cement, which may be applied between the upper and the insole and between the outsole and the lasting allowance of the upper.

In Fig. another form of shoe utilizing the insole of Fig. 2 is shown. The general construction of such shoe is somewhat similar to that shown in Fig. 12 in the copending application of Frank Maiellano, Serial No. 36,057, filed August 14, 1935. As is described in greater detail in that application, an outsole 20 is provided with a slightly raised land 2| at its central forepart portion by splitting a thin ply from the heel, shank and marginalforepart portions of the flesh side thereof, while leaving such land at the central forepart area and forming a corresponding aperture in the central forepart area of the split-off ply. This ply, designated 22, is then assembled with an insole such as that shown in Fig. 2, being cemented to the flat face thereof on the reverse side from the insole land II. The ply 22 and the insole may be trimmed so as to be marginally coextensive either before or after such cementing operation.

The composite insole thus formed is located on a flat bottom last I! with the ply 22 facing thereagainst. An upper 23 is then pulled over and its lasting allowance 23' is attached to the insole, preferably by means of cement. The lasting allowance of the forepart is trimmed so as to approach but not overlap the land II on the insole, and the latter, in turn, is constructed so as to be substantially coextensive with the aperture formed in the insole ply 22. The outsole 20 i then located against the bottom of the laste upper with its land 2| facing and supported by the thicker landed portion of the insole, cement having been applied or activated between the marginal portions of the outsole and lasted upper. The outsole is then pressed to the upper in any suitable or known type of sole-afllxing press having a pressure-applying pad or diaphragm.

A shoe constructed in this manner will at its interior-forepart portion resemble in appearance the now popular shoe construction, wherein a landed outsole is mated with an apertured insole, since it will present to view the looped or apertured insole ply 12, which is flush with and exposes the interior surface of the insole stock l0. Because of the presence of the thickened insole portion II, a shoe of this general construction can be assembled on a flat bottom last without danger of depressing the central area of the outsole forepart during the aflixing operation, as will be more clearly understood from the description in the above mentioned application, Serial No. 36,057, as well as in another copending application of Frank Maiellano, Serial No. 36,056, filed August 14, 1935, wherein this problem of lasting shoes having landed outsoles and complementary insoles on flat bottom lasts is fully discussed. While two illustrative shoe constructions have been shown, it will be understood that the insole of the present invention is usable in various types of shoes wherein a thickened filler piece is required at some portion of the shoe.

It will be seen that there have been provided a method and a construction whichare well suited to fulfill their intended functions.

Since certain changes in carrying out the above process, and certain modifications in the article which embody the invention may be made without departing from its scope, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described, and all statements of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An insole formed of relatively easily compressible material having permanently uniformly compressed relatively thin heel, shank, and marginal forepart portions and a thicker relatively uncompressed central forepart portion of lesser density and greater flexibility than said shank and heel portion.

2. A method of forming an insole which comprises providing an insole blank of relatively easily compressible and substantially inelastic material, and compacting the heel, shank, and marginal forepart portions thereof until they are thinner than the remaining central forepart portion, said latter portion being of lesser density and greater flexibility than said heel and shank portions.

3. A method of forming an insole which comprises providing an insole blank of compressible material having greater thickness and less area than the required insole, and compacting the heel, shank and marginal forepart portions of said blank until they have the required insole thickness and area, while leaving the central forepart portion relatively thicker, less dense and more flexible than said compacted portions.

4. An insole formed of compressible material having permanently compressed relatively thin heel, shank, arid marginal forepart portions and a thicker relatively uncompressed central forepart portion, said thin portions having all of the initial strength and said thicker portion having all of the initial flexibility of said material.

5. A method of forming an insole which comprises providing a compressible insole blank of initially substantially uniform thickness, and permanently compacting the heel, shank, and marginal forepart portions thereof until they are thinner than the remaining central forepart portion whereby the latter portion retains the initial flexibility of said blank and said compacted thinner portions retain at least the initial strength for lasting purposes of said blank. ISAAC F. DAMON. 

